“500 million animals have been killed”
This is an absurd number. Who has counted them? What is the definition of an animal? Are they including insects?
Animals have terrific abilities to sense danger and fire is one of the fiercest enemies they have. They will vacate the area and head for safety away from the incoming danger. Certainly there are deaths but 500 million is not to me believable.
Biology 101: insects are animals.
It is an absurd number. For example, they believe 8000 koalas were directly killed in NSW, which is 30% of the Koala population.
THe 480 million number comes from extrapolation of studies showing how clearing land used by animals would damage the population. In other words, they beleive that many will die from starvation and lack of habitat for long-term survival.
There is also a 1 billion number, which actually includes INSECTS. These estimates include birds, frogs, reptiles, as well as the cute animals we think of.
Farm animals have been killed, a lot of them, when not released before the fires swept through.
BTW, there are 50 million kangaroos, something that until these fires was called a ‘PLAGUE”, as they were destroying everything. Killing half the kangaroos would be good for Australia.